TOULOUSE (FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) – The USA beat China by 97-74 in the first semi-final at the Palais des Sports and will face either France or Belgium in the final of the first-ever FIBA U17 World Championship for Women.

In front of 1,200 fans, China’s Meng Li showed off her three-point accuracy early on, but Elizabeth Williams put the USA in front 15-12 after five minutes. Captain Ariel Massengale then took over to give the Americans a 28-18 lead by the end of the first quarter.

The Chinese though came back thanks to an impressive three-point barrage. Li Meng hit four attempts from beyond the arc in the second period alone as they trailed by just six, 54-48, at the break.

Wang Guizhi’s charges were 11 of 23 from long range in the first 20 minutes.

Barbara Nelson’s side were dealt a blow when Williams was injured with 2:43 to go before halftime. She was shaken up and left the game but returned later.

The USA opened another double-digit lead early in the third quarter before Liwei Yang got her team back within seven, 73-66.

China though cooled off from three-point range in the final frame – and were not much better from inside the arc as their shots were well-contested – and the Americans outscored them 24-8 in the final period to put the result beyond doubt.

Massengale finished with 22 points and six assists while Breanna Stewart had a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Williams finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Li Meng had 22 points for the game, but the 15-year-old was held to just two in the second half. She connected on six of her eight three-point attempts in the first half.

Quotes

Barbara Nelson (USA head coach): China is a very good team. They are the best free-throw and three-point shooting team. Meng Li was very hot at the beginning. We had to change our defense to contain the three-point shot more than ever in this tournament. I am proud of the way my team re-adjusted. I am extremely excited to be in the gold medal game. We are very fortunate.

Ariel Massengale (USA captain and guard): China is a very good team and this game was very physical. They have great outside shooting. We have not seen anyone as accurate as them in the tournament. I enjoyed this game. I played 30 minutes today but I am not tired for tomorrow. There is only one game left.

Wang Guizhi (China head coach): I am very happy to have played against the US team which is one of best teams in the world. Before the game, we wanted to learn from that team. We know we should train and improve. Today our biggest problem was the rebounding battle.

Dong Yu (China centre): I am very happy. This was the first time that I played against the USA. I learned a lot especially about physical play. I know there is a huge gap between our team and the USA. They are a very strong team. We should train and improve.